Crafting villains in video games can be a tough balancing act, depending on the type of game, genre, narrative, among other gameplay aspects to consider. Sometimes villains are cliche or simplistic, sometimes their motivations are extremely complex and morally grey. In a way, Far Cry and Resident Evil have explored both sides of that antagonist scale throughout various entries in each franchise. Whether it's the insanity of Vaas, or the cold but calculated charm of Lady Dimitrescu, both of these iconic gaming franchises emphasize the villain's presence in the narrative prominently, even if they don't have as much time in the limelight as they might deserve.
There's an odd similarity between Far Cry 3's Vaas and Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu in that regard; both have become immensely popular characters amongst fans, but in function spend much less time as the game's main villain than expected. Vaas' time as the main villain is undercut by an entire second act involving Hoyt, who many felt was a far inferior villain in direct comparison. Lady Dimitrescu experienced a similar treatment, as she's the introductory villain of Resident Evil Village, a game that splits many of the game's main antagonists into isolated chunks. Vaas and Lady Dimitrescu find themselves in a very similar boat in each of their respective stories.
Vaas in Far Cry 3, Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village
In the beginning hours of both games, Far Cry 3 and Resident Evil Village, Vaas and Lady Dimitrescu are established as majors players in their respective worlds. As forces to be reckoned with, players are expecting a significant struggle and an ultimate triumph against these villains that are being pushed as pivotal antagonists. The interesting thing is, with that player perspective and perception of Vaas and Lady Dimitrescu, it's almost as if they're placed on a villainous pedestal. Players want to take them down, defeat them, triumph over adversity. Far Cry 3's Vaas and Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu are strong, and their development makes them important.
Vaas terrorizes Jason Brody from the get-go, partially due to the breakneck pace of Far Cry 3's story, but also to establish a strong villain as immediately as possible. The loss of Brody's brother at the hands of Vaas, as well as the attacks on his friends, pushes Jason to the brink and encourages players to hate Vaas unabashedly. Lady Dimitrescu's introduction isn't as sudden, but is easily just as infuriating as she terrorizes Ethan Winters throughout the early hours of Resident Evil Village. Of course, fans were drawn to these characters in a very similar manner, both pre-release and at launch. Unfortunately, their character development and momentum is short-lived.
Villains Who Leave at the Peak of Their Power
Both Far Cry 3's Vaas and Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu have their strongest moments before unceremoniously being replaced by another antagonist. That's not to definitively say any of the villains are lesser than Vaas or Lady Dimitrescu, but their focus and portrayal doesn't match up with expectations that are laid. Far Cry 3 touts Vaas as the major player behind Jason Brody's torment, as well as the native Rakyat tribe on the Rook Islands. The next villain, Hoyt, isn't even introduced until Vaas dies at the end of the game's first act. The second act being comparatively much shorter, Hoyt doesn't receive nearly as much screen time or villain development as Vaas.
The same goes for Lady Dimitrescu, arguably to a much greater effect. It could be theorized that expectations for Lady Dimitrescu's narrative importance were overblown due to the character's popularity online, but the game also frames her as a major player as well. Though criticism towards the narrative importance of villains serving Mother Miranda could paint a broad brush for Resident Evil Village, Lady Dimitrescu in particular is perhaps the biggest example. Castle Dimitrescu is a focal point of Village's world, and yet players spend the least amount of time there, compared to the rest of the game's various houses and locales.
Possible Redemption for Lady D, Not So Much Vaas
Both Far Cry 3 and Resident Evil Village don't really have an opportunity to redeem these antagonists, despite how iconic they've become in gaming.
Vaas in particular had a running fan theory going that could've lead to more screen time devoted to his character, but in a very different way. Many theorized that Far Cry 6's Diego Castillo was a younger version of Vaas in Far Cry 3, mostly because of an identical scar/body mark on their eyebrow. Despite the popularity of this theory, the Far Cry 6 developers did eventually debunk this theory. Unfortunately for Vaas, he won't be getting any more character development beyond his time in Far Cry 3. Not that he doesn't make an incredible impact on players with his time on-screen in Far Cry 3, but his momentum gets cut down way too early.
Lady Dimitrescu has to deal with a similar situation in Resident Evil Village, but she still technically has more of a chance than Vaas does for redemption. Resident Evil has often utilized DLC expansions and spin-offs to serve as prequels or extended stories for characters. More importantly, the last Resident Evil game had the "End of Zoe" expansion that tells the final tale of the Baker family in Resident Evil 7. There's the chance that Lady Dimitrescu and her "daughters" could receive a similar treatment, whether that's through a prequel, or Resident Evil finds a way to bring Lady Dimitrescu back for a completely new chapter.
Either way, both villains' respective stories unfortunately end at the peak of their narrative momentum. Vaas was an enthralling villain for players, but right at what seemed to be the climax of Far Cry 3's story, his story ends. Lady Dimitrescu's story ends in a climactic way as well, but none of the other villains have a similar narrative prominence and effect on players as she does in Resident Evil Village.